Hood latch



April 27,1937.

v 4N. A. MEARS HOOD LATCH l Filed Jan. 5, 1955' Patented Apr. 27, 1937 PATENT GFFICE HOOD LATCH Norton A.' Mears, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Chicago Forging & Manufacturing Co., Chicago, Ill., a

corporation of Illinois Application January 5, 1935, Serial No. 479

1 Claim.

This invention relates to latching means for latching the closure -of an automobile hood. While it maybe used for other purposes, it is primarily concerned with the latching and holding in` position of automobile hoods.

lOne object isV to provide a latch of a type particularly adapted for use with relatively long hoods and hoods made of relatively light material in which-'itis desirable to* provide means for stiifening the hood to prevent its bending and distortion.

Another object is to provide such stiiening means and latching means in connection with a Yl'lood'of irregular ror curved shape, the stiffening means being curved or shaped otherwise to conform to or compensate for the shape of the hood, the latching means itself being curved.

n Another object is to provide means for putting tension on the latching member. Another object is to provide means for ready repair,

whereby should the latching means have to be removed from the hood, it may be readily reatltached thereto Without the necessity of removing, yaltering or distorting the stilening means.

' Other objects will appear from time to time in the specification and claim.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing diagrammatically, wherein:-

'Figure 1 is an inside view of a portion of the hood showing the stiffening and latching means in position;

Figure 2 is a plan view showing a portion of the stiiening means, looking from the side which is attached to the hood side sheet when the stiening means is in position;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional detail, taken at line 3 3 of Figure 2. Line 3-3 of Figure 1 indicates the position of the section on the assembly View. Figures 2 and 3 show the parts as originally assembled;

Figure 4 is a section similar to Figure 3, showing the parts reassembled after repair;

Figure 5 is a View on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the reinforcing member and the latch operating means, taken from the outside, that is, from the side which is normally fastened to the side sheet member of the hood;

Figure 6 is a transverse section taken at line 6-6 of Figure 5, showing the original or riveted construction;

Figure 7 is a transverse section taken at line 'l--T of Figure 5, showing the repaired or bolted construction;

Figure 8 is a plan view of one of the bearing members, removed from the parts upon which it is mounted when in use; and

Figure 9 is a sectional View taken at line 9 9 of Figure 8. t

VLike parts are designated by like characters throughout the specification and drawing.

A indicates a hood which may be of any suitable shape and is shown here merely diagrammatically. As shown it is provided with a curved edge A1.

B is a reinforcing and latch holding member. As shown it is curved in plan and channeled in section, having laterally extending flanges B1, B1 adapted to contact and to be fastened to the hood plate member A. The reinforcing member is perforated at suitable intervals as at B2 to receive fastening means by means of which it is fastened upon the hood plate member A. It is normally riveted to that member by rivets B3, although it might be welded or otherwise fastened to the hood. In normal practice when once fastened to the hood, it is desirable no-t to remove it asv to do so might damage the hood or the paint or other surface treatment. Hence it is desirable to provide means for removing and reinstalling or reattaching the latching part without removing the reinforcing member and without in any way disturbing its attachment to the hood sheet member. To accomplish this the reinforcing member is provided with one or more perforations C, located in that portion of it which is not in contact with the hood sheet member A. As indicated particularly in Figure 2 the perforation C is enlarged at one portion and is provided with a preferably centrally disposed, laterally eX- tending, reduced portion C1. The margins of the perforations C2 may or may not be tapered as shown and in fact the perforation may be given almost any desired shape so long as one portion is relatively large and the other relatively small; the purpose and use of this will be described below.

Elsewhere in the supporting member and formed in that portion of it which is not in contact with the hood sheet member A are one or more additional perforations D which are provided with relatively large portions and with lat erally extending, preferably centrally located, reduced portions D1. As in the case of the perforation C, the shape of these perforations D and of the communicating portions D1 might be almost infinitely varied so long as one portion is somewhat larger than the other. The use and purpose of these perforations and of their proportions will be indicated below.

. their shanks lie within the portions D1.

E is a latch bearing member. It comprises a preferably at portion, perforated as at El and a rounded bearing portion E2 which terminates in an outwardly depending portion E3 which, as shown in Figure 9, extends beyond the plane of the portion E' and terminates in a reversed, and preferably inwardly, bent flange or lip E4.

When the parts are originally assembled, one of the bearing members E is inserted through each of the perforations C. Its lip E4 engages the portion B of the stiffening member as shown particularly in Figures 2, 3 and 4. The perforation E1 lies in register With the portion C1 of the perforation C and a rivet F passes through the portion C1 and the perforation E and holds the parts in the position shown in Figures 2 and 3 and also as shown at the right hand or upper end of Figure 1.

When for any reason it is necessary to remove the latch rod which is supported in the bearings E the rivets F are ground off or otherwise removed and the bearing member E may then be removed by being rst raised and tilted so that the lip E4 is out of engagement with the stiifening member B and the part may then be removed.

When it is desired to replace the bearings, a suitably headed bolt G is inserted rst through the perforation C and then slipped into the extension C1. Its head bears against the side of the channel section of the member B and hence does not rotate so that a nut G1 may be screwed in place. A lockwasher G2 may also be used if desired. It will be obvious thus that Y' the bearing members which carry the latch rod may be removed and replaced Without the necessity of removing the stiifening member B.

H is a plate which acts as a bearing support and as a latch handle support. It is provided with an outwardly bent portion H1 and a ange H2, perforated as at H3, to receive bolts F1 by means' of which it is fastened to the hood plate A. At its opposite end it is provided with two inwardly curled extensions H4 which serve as bearing supports to receive and rotatably mount the latch rod. It is perforated adjacent these curled portions as at H5. When originally assembled it is fastened to the stiffening member B by rivets F. When it is necessary to remove the plate H these rivets are ground olf or otherwise removed. When it is necessary to replace the plate H suitably headed bolts G, similar to those above described, are inserted first through the perforations D and then moved 'so that In this position they bear against an angularly shaped portion of the channel member B and hence cannot rotate and nuts G1 may be screwed into position upon them. Lockwashers G2 may be used if desired. Thus as in the case of the bearing clips E, the plate H which is originally riveted in position, may be removed and rigidly replaced without the necessity of removing the stiifening member B and this is accomplished in part by the shape of the perforations C and D which permits the insertion of suitably headed bolts and in part by the shape of the channel member B, which, when the bolts are in proper position, prevents their rotation and so makes it possible to screw nuts tightly down upon them without the necessity of getting at the back or inner portion of the channel section B.

I is a latch rod journalled in the bearing members or clips E. and also in the bearing portions H4. It is preferably provided at or near each end with a laterally bent portion I1 which terminates in a latch engaging member I2 so that when it is rotated into one position it engages such member and when it is rotated out of such position it is free from such member. It may be laterally bent intermediate its ends as at I3 to provide a crank portion which receives a link I4. This link is fastened to the handle arm I5 which is itself secured to a handle shaft I6 journalled in a bearing formed in a boss I7 in the plate H. Any suitable handle may be fastened on the outer or free end of the handle shaft I6. The plate H may have one or more. sto-ps I8 to limit the movement of the member I5.

As shown in Figure 1, the latch rod I has been removed and replaced. Thus two of the rivets F on the reinforcing member B have been removed and replaced by bolts G, upon which nuts G1 have been screwed in place and three of the rivets F remain.

The plate H may be initially riveted in place as shown in Figure 6, or it may be initially held in place by bolts F1. As shown in Figure 1 it is held in .place by such bolts. Ordinarily for repairs it is not necessary to remove the plate H from the hood member A and for that reason it is usually satisfactory to rivet the plate H to the hood A.

The use and operation of the invention are as follows:

The reinforcing strip is curved or of any other shape and is assembled with the bearing clips E and the plate H, having the bearing portions H4 upon it. These clips and plate are preferably riveted to the reinforcing member. The latch rod I is preferably made without curvature originally, the bent portions I3 and I1r being in the shape shown, but the main body lof thev rod I being straight. When it is assembled into the bearings it is bent or sprung into such bent position as required and the bearing clips E and the plate H are then preferably riveted into place.

The latch assembly is then ready for mount# ing upon and attachment to an automobile hood. Ordinarily it will be riveted, welded or otherwise permanently attached to the hood. The handle shaft I projecting through the hood and receivingr at its outer end any desirable handle by means of which it can be rotated to operate the latch.

After the assembly has been permanently fastened to the hood plate, it may become necessary,

for repair or otherwise, to remove part or all .l

of the latch bar. If such removal requires removal of the reinforcing member B as a whole from the hood, damage to the hood or its finish inevitably occurs. Hence it is desirable to avoid the necessity fo-r this removal. In the present invention removal is accomplished by merely grinding off one end of,.or otherwise removing, the rivets. The members E or the plate H or both may thus be removed without in any way disturbing the reinforcing member B or injuring again tightened into position and the entire assembly is then again in its original position without the necessity of removal of the member B from the hood.

Where in the specification and claim the member B is described as being curved, this does not limit it narrowly to a curved shape. It might be angular, or for some purposes it might be straight. In other words, it might be given any outline desired to accommodate the hood or covering upon which it is to be mounted. In the particular form shown it is curved, but this is merely one possible exemplication of the invention.

I claim:

In a latch adapted for use with a hinged vehicle hood having a lower edge diverging substantially from the horizontal, a resilient one-piece rock shaft, a plurality of bearing members for said rock shaft carried by said hood, said bearing members being spaced apart along the lower edge of the hood out of axial alignment with each other and positioned to constrain the rock shaft to a generally curvilinear condition, a base plate secured to the inner face of said hood adjacent an intermediate portion of said rock shaft, a handle rotatably mounted on the exterior of the hood about an axis generally perpendicular to the face l0 of the hood, a lever within said hood associated with said handle and mounted for rotation upon said base plate, a crank member associated with said rock shaft adjacent said base plate, and an actuating connection between said lever and said l5 crank member.

NORTON A. MEARS. 

